Conventional absorbent articles of the above-mentioned kind exhibit a substantially rectangular shape. A problem associated with this design is that the articles are not adapted to the body of the user. As a rule, they are too wide in the central portion of the article, that is to say the portion of the article which is intended to fit in between the thighs of the user. Consequently, the article will wrinkle during use. This is both uncomfortable for the user and increases the risk of leakage. In order to solve this problem it has been suggested to make the absorbent articles hourglass-shaped rather than rectangular. Such articles are previously known from, for instance, EP 67 377 and EP 235 763.
Normally, absorbent articles of the above-mentioned kind are attached in the crotch portion of the underwear of the user by means of adhesive areas applied to the article.
A problem with this type of attachment is that the adhesive areas may be contaminated so that they lose their attachment capability. Another problem with adhesive attachment is that adhesive may adhere permanently to the underwear of the user, that is to say the adhesive cannot be washed away and the underwear is ruined. A further problem with adhesive attachment is that protective strips are required in order to protect the adhesive areas. Such protective strips must be removed and discarded before use. Many users of absorbent articles experience this as time-consuming and cumbersome.
A further problem, which is especially obvious if large areas of the article are covered with adhesive, is that the article is more likely to follow the movements of the underwear than of the body. This results in an increased risk of leakage since gaps easily arise between the article and the body of the user. In those cases where the article instead follows the movements of the body, this will lead to the attachment against the underwear being subjected to shear forces. This may imply that the article is detached from the underwear or is deformed. At worst, both these situations may occur simultaneously. The consequence will in all cases be that the article does not cover the areas it is intended for, with leakage as a result.
One way of reducing this problem is by designing the adhesive areas in different ways, as is disclosed in for example GB 2 119 656 and GB 2 119 657, or by combining adhesive areas with areas with high friction, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,255.